Supporters of Iraqicleric Muqtada al-Sadr have taken to the streets inBaghdad andBasra tocallfor economic and political reforms and end to corruption.
Hundreds of people converged on Tahrir Squareincentral Baghdad on Friday, demanding the formationof atechnocrat government, the Arabic-language al-Sumaria television reported.
Participants in the demonstrations also called upon the government to prosecute corrupt officials and bring them to justice.
InBasra, some 550km (340 miles) to the south,dozens of protestersgathered outside the ProvincialCouncilbuilding, demanding abolition of the sectarian quota system and fight against corruption.
They also demanded that sevenministers who resigned recently under pressureareheld accountablefor the decisions they made during their terms in office.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"]
Muqtada al-Sadr's supporters wave national Iraqi flags as they take part in a demonstration in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on July 22, 2016. AFP[/caption]Civil rights activist Nael al-Zamil said the protesters calledfor the appointment of professional and efficient ministers, and vowed to continue street protestsevery Friday until their demands were met.
On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime MinisterHaider al-Abadi accepted the resignationof Minister of Higher Education Hussein al-Shahristani, only a day after heagreed to the resignations of six other ministers.
The prime minister has called on political groups tofocus on the campaign against Daesh extremists instead of holding protests which are undermining efforts to maintain security.
Iraqi officials are worried that the new protests might lead to chaos similar to the mayhem in April when some unruly protestersbroke into the restricted Green Zone in the capital and scaled security walls to storm parliament.
On Friday, Sadr's supporters defied a government ban, taking to the streets of Baghdad in thousands to stage a protest rally.
The chaos on Iraqs political scenecomes at a critical time when army forces, backed by fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units, are engaged in fierce clashes with Daesh terrorists on several fronts.
By Press TV
